We’re going rogue and we’re letting the Holy Spirit take over!!!
We love that word “Tell.” God’s salvation was never meant to be something we only hear and keep to ourselves as it’s meant to be shared. Jesus reminded us that no one lights a candle and hides it away but sets it high so its light reaches everyone in the house. In the same way, the great light of God’s salvation is meant to shine through us for others to see.
The Gospels show the incredible power of “telling.” The shepherds heard the news of Jesus’ birth from the angels and immediately shared it with everyone they met. The Samaritan woman at the well told her entire town about the Man who knew everything she had ever done, and many believed because of her testimony. And the man freed from a legion of demons was commanded by Jesus to go and tell others what the Lord had done for him and he did. Story after story shows the same pattern: Those who received the blessing of God’s Salvation were told to tell others as a pattern for us to follow!
Did you know that Isaiah contains more prophecies about God’s salvation than any other book in the Bible? Today, we’ll be telling about Isaiah 49:1–6, a passage that summarizes the ministry of an unnamed figure called “the servant.”
This servant speaks of being called and named by God before he was even born, hidden for a time, and given a mouth like a sharpened sword. He describes laboring to restore Israel, feeling as though his work was in vain, yet being vindicated by God. And then comes the astonishing promise: he will also bring the light of God’s salvation to the nations.
So, who is this mysterious servant yet to be named?
Hundreds of years later, in Luke 2:30-32, a firstborn baby boy is brought into the temple by his parents to offer a sacrifice according to the law and is met by an old man named Simeon who proclaims through the Holy Spirit, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
Who could this be?
Let’s read this astonishing prophecy of the Servant who brought us God’s Salvation.
Isaiah 49:1-6
1 Coastlands, listen to me; listen, you peoples far away: THE LORD called me from the womb; before I was born, he had spoken my name.
2 He has made my mouth like a sharp sword while hiding me in the shadow of his hand; he has made me like a sharpened arrow while concealing me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, through whom I will show my glory.”
4 But I said, “I have toiled in vain, spent my strength for nothing, futility.” Yet my cause is with THE LORD, my reward is with my God.
5 So now THE LORD says – he formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, to have Israel gathered to him, so that I will be honored in the sight of THE LORD, my God having become my strength
6 he has said, “It is not enough that you are merely my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the offspring of Israel. I will also make you a light to the nations, so my salvation can spread to the ends of the earth.”
When we read Isaiah 49:1–6, we hear the voice of the Servant of the Lord (Jesus) speaking with authority and purpose. These verses summarize Jesus’ Life and Ministry.
In Isaiah 49:1, He says, “THE LORD called me before I was born, while I was still in my mother’s womb, he named me.”
NT Parallels:
• Luke 1:31 – “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.”
• Matthew 1:21 – “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
*Jesus was named and set apart before birth, fulfilling this prophecy.
In Isaiah 49:2, The Servant continues, describing how God made his mouth “like a sharp sword” and hid him “like a polished arrow.”
This imagery reminds us of Christ’s early life where he and his family lived in an obscure town called Nazareth and he grew in wisdom and strength (like an arrowhead being polished) and in his ministry, His words cut through deception and false accusations and then pierced hearts with truth. It is written that when Jesus spoke, people were astonished because He taught with authority, not like the scribes. His message was sharp, clear, and life-changing.
OT Parallels:
• Isaiah 11:4 — The Messiah “will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth”
• Isaiah 51:16 — God says, “I have put My words in your mouth”
• Hosea 6:5 — God says, “I have slain them by the words of My mouth”
• Psalm 45:2–5 — The king’s lips are “anointed with grace,” and his arrows pierce the heart of the king’s enemies
NT Parallels:
• Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…”
• Revelation 1:16 – “…out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”
*Christ’s words pierce hearts with truth and judgment. He used the weapon of truth (sharp sword). He was a precise, prepared instrument (polished arrow). he was Hidden until the right moment (concealed in God’s hand and quiver)
Isaiah 49:3 “And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
NT Parallels:
• John 17:4 – “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”
• Matthew 12:18 (quoting Isaiah 42) – “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.”
*Jesus, as the true Servant, glorifies the Father.
Yet the Servant also confesses, in Isaiah 49:4, “I have toiled in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing.”
Doesn’t this echo the rejection Jesus faced? He came to His own, and very few of His own received Him. Many turned away, and at the cross it looked as though His mission had failed. But just as the Servant declares, “My vindication is with Adonai,” Jesus was vindicated by the resurrection. What seemed like defeat became the greatest victory because he defeated the one who had the power of death over all mankind.
NT Parallels:
• John 1:11 – “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”
• 1 Peter 2:23 – “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.”
*Jesus faced rejection but trusted God for vindication through resurrection.
Isaiah 49:5, So now THE LORD says – he formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, to have Israel gathered to him, so that I will be honored in the sight of THE LORD, my God having become my strength
NT Parallels:
• Matthew 15:24 – “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
• Romans 11:26 – “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.”
*Jesus’s mission began with Israel, to restore God’s people.
In Isaiah 49:6, he has said, “It is not enough that you are merely my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the offspring of Israel. I will also make you a light to the nations, so my salvation can spread to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus is not only the Messiah of Israel, He is the Savior of the world. His mission was never limited to one people, Israel; it was always God’s plan that through Him salvation would reach every tribe, tongue, and nation.
OT Parallels:
Genesis 12:3 — God’s covenant with Abraham:
“I will bless those who bless you… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
→ This is the cornerstone promise: Israel’s role in bringing the Savior Messiah into the world is to be the channel of blessing to the world.
• Genesis 18:18 — God reaffirms:
“Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.”
• Genesis 22:18 — After Abraham’s obedience:
“Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.”
→ Christians later connect this to the Messiah coming from Abraham’s line.
NT Parallels:
• Luke 2:32 – Simeon calls Jesus “A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”
• Acts 13:47 – Paul and Barnabas quote this verse directly: “For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”
• Matthew 28:19–20 – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…”
* Jesus fulfills this prophecy by bringing salvation to all nations through his sacrificial death and resurrection. His shed blood atoned for all the world’s sins and gave us the opportunity to be justified (made righteous) by The Father when we believe in the Son. His resurrection shows us that His sacrifice was accepted by His Father and that He defeated death and gave us all confidence and hope that we too will be raised from the dead.
Isaiah 49:1-6 is a prophetic portrait of Jesus Christ: chosen before birth, empowered by God’s Word, rejected yet vindicated, and ultimately revealed as the light of the world. It shows us that the mission of Christ is both personal for Israel and global in nature. He came to restore Israel and to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
It can be said that if the entire Old Testament were a set of jigsaw pieces and were assembled, they would show a picture of Jesus. Remember the story of Jesus walking with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus after he had arisen where it is written “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.” He didn’t say some of the Scriptures but all!
What the Old Testament concealed, the New Testament revealed. Amen.
Proverbs teach us that one of the defining marks of true wisdom is discernment, the ability to see clearly, to understand what others overlook, and to recognize truth when it appears in seed form. In that sense, we can see that understanding the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus requires discernment. For those without that God‑given insight, the prophecies remained concealed. But to those whom the Spirit grants wisdom, the pieces come together and the promised Messiah is revealed and that revelation reached deeply in our hearts and strengthens our faith and trust in Jesus.
When we open Isaiah 49:1–6, we hear the voice of God’s Servant speaking. He says, “THE LORD called me before I was born, while I was still in my mother’s womb he named me.”
Right away, we see that salvation begins with God’s initiative. It’s not something we stumble into by accident—it’s something God planned before the foundation of the world: 1 Peter 1:19–20 “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”
The Servant is chosen, set apart, and prepared to carry God’s message of salvation. And just as the Servant was called, we too are called to bear witness to God’s saving work. All who have the Holy Spirit confess that Jesus is Lord, the Son of the Living God: 1 Corinthians 12:3 “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.”
But notice what happens next. The Servant acknowledges that his mission feels heavy, even discouraging at times: “I have toiled in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing.”
Have you ever felt that way when sharing your faith—that your words aren’t making a difference, that people aren’t listening? The Servant felt that too. Yet he doesn’t give up. He says, “My vindication is with THE LORD, my reward is with my God.” In other words, the results belong to God. Our job is to tell of His salvation; His job is to bring fruit from our labor.
Then comes the turning point. God says, “It is not enough that you are my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob… I will also make you a light to the nations, so my salvation can spread to the ends of the earth.”
Salvation was never meant to be limited to Israel alone. God’s plan has always been global. His Servant—fulfilled in Jesus—would bring light not just to one people, but to all nations. And now, as followers of Christ, we are invited into that mission to share that “light”.
Think of it like a lighthouse. A lighthouse doesn’t hide its light; it shines so that ships in danger can find safety. In the same way, God’s Servant shines His light so that people lost in darkness (ignorance) can find salvation (by believing in Jesus Christ). And we, as His church, are called to reflect that light and bring others to the light.
So what does this mean for us today? It means we must tell of God’s salvation. We must share our testimony, proclaim the Gospel, and let people know that hope is found in Christ alone. Meeting physical needs is important, but true compassion is incomplete if we don’t also share the Bread of Life. The world is hungry for salvation, and God has entrusted us with the message that satisfies.
Isaiah 49 reminds us that God’s plan is purposeful, restorative, and universal. The Servant points us to Jesus, who fulfilled his mission and now calls us to continue it. The challenge for us is simple but profound: will we tell of God’s salvation so that His light reaches the ends of the earth?